Solon calls on Pinoys to refuse surrendering personal information for the National ID system as info will be used for record surveillance and monitoring

Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran today said that Filipinos should resist the moves of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration to implement the national identification system, saying that the ID system was a clear-cut attack against the rights of Filipinos to personal security and privacy. He also said that given the increasingly militarist character and actions of the Macapagal-Arroyo government, the national ID system was without doubt going to be used against the Filipino people – to curb civil dissent and protests against the incumbent president and her policies.

“Filipinos should oppose the national ID system and expose it for what it is – a lethal attack against civil, political and human right rights. The government is targeting civilians with this ID system, and its prepared to slap the label ‘insurgent,’ ‘rebel’ or ‘destabilizer’ against any Filipino who will stand his or her ground and refuse to apply for or carry this ID,” he said.

“The Arroyo government’s corruption and pro-US, anti-national foreign policies are at the core of the country’s insecurity and they pose the biggest threats against the security and well-being of Filipinos not only here but also abroad. A national ID system is without doubt a weapon of the national government to curb political dissent through civilian record monitoring and surveillance.”

The veteran labor leader turned lawmaker said that the justifications of the government for the ID system do not wash. He said that the government wants Filipinos to surrender personal information about themselves, affiliations and even whereabouts and use this information against them whenever it suits the purposes of the government. “Who are we turning all this information to – the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), two of the most corrupt institutions in the institutions as well as the most vicious violators of civil and human rights,” he said.

“The ID system is not for the protection or defense of civilians against any threat; it’s for the protection and defense of a corrupt presidency and the political, economic system it represents. At the same time that the Arroyo government is attacking civil rights and liberties, it’s also trying to make money from the ID system. No doubt, there will be processing fees involved, and the cash-strapped government will make billions from this alone,” he said.#